Jinchuuriki
by Songstone
Summary: After a strange encounter with a young boy, Lee finds that his life can get much worse than it is already. Now he's questioning his sanity and running away from a ten-foot tall fox that only he can see. What is going on in this town? -Finally updated-
1. Moving In

**Jinchuriki**

**A story by Songstone**

**Songstine: Well, I had to repost because my sister kicked me out of the other account. That means I have to start this story over from the beginning. I'm so sorry guys! I hate this so much. I'll be losing all of your wonderful reviews! If it isn't too much, I would love it if you would please start this story over and enjoy. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**Chapter 1: Moving in**

The wind was billowing through the open window of the car, blowing back locks of black hair from the young man's face. His cheek was pressed against the palm of his hand and he was leaning on his elbow, his coal colored eyes staring blankly at the passing trees. He sighed heavily for the hundreth time in the past hour and yawned, feeling the cold night air hitting the back of his throat when he opened his mouth. Leaning his head out of the window further, the young man suddenly felt a tap against his shoulder.

"Lee, shut the window already. The bugs are flying in here. Also, you can get an earache from all of the cold air blowing in your face." The said boy, Lee, straightened his spine and obeyed his father's command, shutting the window on the passenger side.

"Sorry dad." Lee muttered to the older man that was driving the sleek, green car. He crossed his arms over his chest and put his forehead against the cool glass widow, his eyes still watching the thinning forest. They had just passed through a large city a little less than ten minutes ago, and now they were headed toward the country side. Their new home. The ebony haired teen sighed again, heavier to where his chest puffed out when he breathed in, and then lowered his eyes to the art book in his lap.

"Lee." Hearing his name called, the young man looked up from his musings and locked eyes with his father, who was watching him with a thoughtful expression.

Despite being a stern looking man, Maito Gai was a very loving and gentle parent. He and his son were extremely close. Not only were they attached to each other, but they looked almost exactly alike. They both had the same jet black hair and eye color and the same large eyebrows. Their relationship was strong even when Lee was a child, but only strengthened when the younger boy's mother died in a car accident when he was seven, leaving him and his father on their own.

Lee watched his father as he was being watched back with nearly identical black eyes. But that was all broken when Gai had to turn back to the county road he was navigating. "Lee, I'm sorry that we had to move. I know you liked your old home." The older man started, avoiding a pothole that had deepened over the years of poor care. "But the job here pays better. I think it's the best choice for the both of us." He looked sideways at his son and reached out to gently ruffle the boy's hair. "I'm sorry."

Lee glanced back up at his dad, his gaze having dropped when the older man mentioned his previous home. He smiled weakly and then looked back down at his art book. Picking up a chewed up pencil, Lee opened the scetch pad to a fresh page and began to run the lead tip over the white sheet. "It's okay dad. Really." He insisted. His father had been apologizing repeatedly ever since they had started to pack their belongings, five days ago. "I don't mind moving. It's just that . . . mom's grave was in our old town." He muttered the last part under his breath and then began work on a new project, a scetch of a forest filled with deer and birds.

Gai pulled his hand back to rest on the steering wheel, a crease forming in his brow when he heard his son mention his late mother. Lee was watching his father drive from the corner of his eye, hoping that he hadn't said anything to upset or sadden the older male. Slowly, he raised his eyes from his paper and looked at his dad's face. "Uhm . . . I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything. I'm just . . . going to miss visiting her grave." Lee mumbled. He and his father had made a point of going to the cemetary every Friday after the teenager had gotten out of school. They would spend hours there, talking and reminicing while they placed fresh flowers in the vase that rested in front of her headstone. He looked back down at his book when his father only nodded. "That's all."

"That's all right, Lee." Gai spoke after taking a minute to gather his thoughts. "I understand. But we can make a trip back there after we get settled and I'm comfortable with my new job. Maybe for spring break . . ." He nodded to himself and he was probably already setting a date for their trip.

Lee sighed again. It was a day and a half's drive to get back to his old home, so he highly doubted that they would be able to travel back there just to refill an empty vase. But there was always hope, so he held onto that as he continued his drawing. He was finishing up the lineart when he looked up, feeling the car coming to a stop. He saw that they were pulled up in a driveway, and that the sun was setting beyond the lush, green trees that lined the opposite side of the road behind them.

"Well, we're here." Gai stated, smiling down at his son and unbuckling his seatbelt. "Come on, Lee. Let's go heat up some food and then go to bed. We'll unpack later." He opened the car door on the driver's side as he turned off the engine, the vehicle rumbling a bit before the air stopped from the vents and it was completely still. Lee closed his book and stuck his pencil behind his ear, pulling back his seatbelt and stepping out of the car door.

Lee quickly rushed back to the trunk of the car to help his dad pull out some blankets and pillows. They began to walk up the stairs to the front door, when Lee felt a sudden chill in the air. He whirled around when he thought he could feel something touching the back of his neck, but saw nothing as his eyes scanned his surroundings. He dismissed the strange sensation as the wind teasing him and then scrambled into the doorway when his dad turned the key and pushed the door open.

"Ah!" Gai exclaimed, tilting his head back and breathing in deeply. He kicked the door shut with his foort, locking it and then flipping the lightswitch, illuminating the dark room and chasing out all of the shadows. "Here we go! Wow, what a nice place." The tall, lean man commented, walking further into the hallway, head swivling this way and that as he peeked into the kitchen and then the living room. Finally, he and his son arrived at the top of the stairs where there were four doors. Three were bedrooms and one was a restroom.

"Which room is mine?" Lee asked, looking at all of them curiously. He knew the room at the end of the hall was the master bedroom that came with its own bathroom and extra closet space, so that automatically went to his father. He wasn't sure if the other two were the same or not, but decided to ask in case his father had planned anything for one of the rooms.

"Whichever one calls out to you." Gai said as he kicked open the master bedroom door. He dropped all of the blankets and pillows on the floor and then fell to his knees, spreading them out to form a make-shift bed to sleep on that night.

Nodding, Lee chose the room at the opposite end of the hall, leaving the bathroom and spare room standing directly in front of the stairs. He kicked it open like his dad had done and looked inside. It was smaller by comparison to his old bedroom, but was livable. He sauntered to the middle of the room and placed the blankets on the floor, spreading them and smoothing them out just as he had seen his father do. He dropped his pillow near the wall and tugged one side of his 'bed' to use as blanket while he slept. He decided that he wouldn't get anything to eat. He was tired from the long car ride and had a new school to enter in the next day, so he wanted to be rested and well when he woke up in the morning.

Lee was drifting off into a warm slumber, when he heard his dad step over the squeaky floorboards. He felt his father running his fingers lovingly through his black hair, shaped in a neat bowl cut to immitate the older man. A soft kiss was planted at the top of his head and Gai muttered, "Goodnight, Lee" before he quietly left the room and decended to the lower part of the house, most likely to make some soup to eat. Lee grinned and snuggled deeper into his blankets, starting to think a bit more positively now that he was actually in his new home. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as he had once though.

Another strange chill ran down Lee's spine and his eyes flew open when he sensed something moving in the room. He sat up, scimming his eyes over every detail in the room. There wasn't any furniture and no one else was with him. A soft humming noise was present, and upon further investigation, Lee found that the air conditioner was blowing gently from above his head. He sighed and fell back into bed, ducking beneath the covers to hide once again. He was going to have to get used to a lot of things here. The scenery, the people and the expecially the sounds outside of the window. It was almost a soft whispering of some sort.

But Lee quickly blocked out all noise and nuzzled his pillow, closing his coal colored eyes and curling into himself for more warmth. This was a strange place, he had to admit. He didn't like it all that well yet, and he was still homesick, but he would adjust with time, just like his father had told him. He trusted his dad's words, replaying them over and over in his head as he fell into a deep slumber, snoring and twisting on the floor while the crikets outside decided to sing him a lullaby to help him relax.

Songstone: I hate to beg. But please, if you would be kind enough...I would love to hear your thoughts one more time.


	2. Dreams become Reality

Jinchuuriki

A story by Songstone

Songstone: Well, it took me a while, but I've managed to move you guys' reviews here to my new account. So, I'm putting up all of the chapters that I've had up, and I'm still working on my next one. Please enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 2: Dreams become Reality

_When Lee opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the green car, speeding down the desolate country road. It was a shiny, sleek car that was pale green in color, and Lee was straining his eyes to see the license plate. He recognized that car. It was so familiar and so foriegn at the same time, that it brought back a flood of memories and made Lee's breath freeze in his throat. _

_He was standing beside the car all of a sudden, his feet planted firmly on the ground. He was unmoving and standing completely still, yet he was somehow keeping speed with the automobile without having to move his feet even an inch. But that wasn't what was bothering him. What was making him gape at the car and what caused his knees to shake, was the fact that inside of the car was his mother._

_There was no doubt about it. She had the same button nose that Lee had, the same hair color like Lee . . . and her eyes were almost as perfectly rounded as Lee's, the only difference being that her eyes were a deep forest green in color while Lee's were coal black like his father's._

_In shock, the ebony haired boy reached out, placing his hand against the cool glass of the window. It sent chills down his spine at how cold the window was. Genlty, he traced the outlines of his mother's face from outside of the window, his bottom lip quivering._

_"Mom . . ." Lee spoke for the first time, his eyes watering at the sight if his mother. _

_For a moment, the woman in the car seemed to turn his way, almost looking at him in the eyes, but not quite. Instead, her round, forest green eyes windened and her mouth fell open as she stared up at something. Then, to Lee's surprise, she started to scream, clenching her eyes shut and clutching the steering wheel in her hands tightly as she veered to the right sharply._

_"No!" Lee screamed, reaching out helplessly as the car swerved away from him, heading towards the guardrail. "No! Watch the road! Mom, there's a slope! You're going to crash!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, willing his legs to pump forward, sending him closer to the green car. He held out his hand in a weak attempt to try and maybe catch the automobile that had just slammed into the metal rails._

_His eyes caught sight of his mother's face just before she was sent crashing to her inevitable death. She had stopped screaming, but her eyes were wide and filled with tears. She had let go of the steering wheel, knowing full well that it couldn't save her, and her hands were now wrapped around the small golden locket that hung from her neck. Her mouth moved in soft words as she neared the rocks below, and somehow Lee was able to make out what they were._

_"My boys . . . my boys . . . I'm so sorry . . . I didn't mean to . . . oh God, I didn't mean to . . ." Her words faded and were eventually overpowered by a sickening crunch of metal against rocks and Lee covered his ears, finding that he could still hear the awful noises even with that protection._

_"No! Mom! Please don't die yet! Mom, we need you, don't die! Please don't die!" Lee choked on his words and gave up on sounding coherent, falling to his knees and screaming to the heavens as loud as his lungs would allow. _

_He continued to scream, his chest aching and his lungs burning for air, but he didn't stop. He felt hot liquid streaming down his cheeks, falling into his mouth, letting him taste the salty flavor, and he finally took a breath. He didn't take a big one, just big enough to stop his chest from aching and enough for him to start screaming again._

_His body had begun to shake and his screams were now softening because his throat was turning raw. As his shrieks of agony slowly died down, they were replaced by a soft sobbing. He curled forward into himself and noticed that he was being rocked back and forth. Struggling, Lee opened his eyes, finding blackness surrounding him. He panicked for a bit, looking around all the way, unable to determine where he was._

_"Help . . ." He whispered softly, his eyes darting around quickly, in search of a way out. "Help me . . . mom . . . dad . . . dad . . ."_

- - -

"Dad . . . dad . . ." Lee heard his own voice, soft and distant, and he struggled to make himself sound stronger. He was being rocked back and forth by some unseen entity, the gesture soothing and calming, easing his distress a bit along with whatever was being combed through his hair.

"Shh . . . Lee, you're fine. It was just a nightmare. Wake up. Come on Lee."

"Nggghhhnnn . . . dad?" Lee asked tiredly, forcing his eyes open and wincing against the bright light filtering through his window. He reached up, rubbing the black orbs gently before he dared to try and focus on his father.

"It was just a nightmare, Lee. Are you okay now?" Gai asked, his fingers tangled in his son's black locks while he rocked them both from side to side.

"Nightmare . . ." Lee muttered. He was becoming familiarized with that word. He had been rudely awoken multiple times during the night for the past week because of them. Just when he was starting to think that the move might have been the best thing for him and his dad, he had started to have horrid and eerily real dreams. "What time is it?" Lee asked, peeking up at his father from between his fingers.

Gai sighed, smiling down at his son affectionately. Looking over his shoulder, he spotted Lee's digital clock on the dresser and shook the younger boy lightly. "Time to wake up. Come on, Lee, you have school today." He said in a manner that showed he was trying to pretend that everything was okay.

"School? Mmm . . . can I skip? Just for today?" Lee muttered, yawning as he pulled away from his father's hold and fell back onto his pillow, which was wet with a mixture between sweat, tears and saliva. He sighed into the damp fabric and nuzzled it, settling into a comfortable position and proceeding to close his eyes and relax his body. He hadn't heard his father complain, so he assumed that he would be allowed to stay home for the day and rest, catch up on all the sleep he'd been missing and--

"Lee! Get out of bed! You have school in an hour! Get up!" Lee's heart practically skipped a beat from the shock of hearing his father scream, and he jolted, his eyes flying open in surprise. He found that it wasn't his body that had jerkerd, but his bed, as his father was jumping up and down on his mattress. "Get up, get up, get up!" Gai was shouting, trying to get his son up and out of bed.

"Waaah! Dad! I'm up, I'm up!" Lee cried in surprise, swinging his legs over the edge of his bed and pulling himself up, wobbling a bit. "Geez, okay, I'm up." He muttered, scratching the back of his head while he leaned against his wall and yawned, trying to wake up all the way.

"Good, now go get cleaned up and dressed. I don't want you to be late again." Gai instructed, hopping off of the bed and landing with a heavy 'thud' on the floor. He patted his son's shoulder in a rougher manner than intended as it made the younger boy cough a little. "Come on now. No time to waste. It takes about ten minutes for you to shower and another two to drive to town and get to the school. Perhaps another five minutes to park and find your classes. At this rate, you _will_ be late!" Gai cried, pushing his son out into the hallway and into the bathroom. "There are towels on the rack. Make it quick." He ordered before he shut the door roughly on his son, leaving him standing in the bathroom with a very confused expression on his face.

"Uhm . . ." Lee muttered, scratching the back of his head, messing up the shiny bowl cut even more than it already was. He sighed, deciding not to argue with his father, and turned on the warm water before quickly stripping from his boxers. Lee sighed as he looked down, eying the green undergarments before he stepped under the hot water. He remembered going to bed with a pair of night pants, yet in the morning they were nowhere to be found. He had probably kicked them off in his sleep like he always did when he got overheated.

"Dad probably flushed the toilet." Lee mumbled to himself as the water had suddenly turned cold. He shuddered, trying to turn up the heat on the faucet, but it was then that he realized that it wasn't the water. The running liquid was as hot as it could go, it was the air in the room was what was making him shiver. Furrowing his brow, Lee moved as far under the water as he could go, rubbing his hands up and down his arms.

It wasn't long before the air had returned to its normal tempreture and Lee was finishing his bath. What an odd feeling that had been! To be standing under scorching hot water one minute and yet be freezing by the air. Sighing, Lee shrugged off the odd sensations and shut off the water, wrapping himself in a towel before he stepped out of the shower. This had been happening a lot lately. Strange feelings that he was being watched . . . that something was in the room with him at times . . .

Lee shook his head when he noticed that his father hadn't given him his school uniform, so he had to make a short dash across the hall and into his room before he could dry off and dress properly. He found that he was becoming more paranoid as the days went by in his new home. Namely because of the chills he got every now and then. He would find himself looking over his shoulder almost constantly, and getting strange sensations. Almost as if someone were in the room with him. He knew that was a silly idea. It was only his father and himself in their home and they hadn't been there long enough to make good friends to bring over to visit. He wasn't sure what these strange feelings were, but he wished that they would stop. They were getting on his nerves. Because it was one thing for the chills to haunt him in the living room and kitchen, but another to sneak up on him in the shower!

- - -

"See you later, Lee!"

Lee looked back over his shoulder and waved to the blond boy that had called his name in farewell. "Bye, Naruto! See you in school tomorrow!" He called back, smiling over his shoulder to the hyperactive boy and his friends. He was grateful that on his first day, Naruto had offered to show him around the school. The two boys had become fast friends, and the blue eyed boy had been nice enough to introduce Lee to his friends. They all seemed pretty nice, and acknowledged Lee as one of their own, so at least he didn't feel like an outcast outside of his home.

Today, after school had ended, Naruto had invited Lee to go with him and a few of the guys out to the park to play a 'quick' game of football. The game had ended with Lee's team winning because the ebony haired boy had made a really risky play and made a touchdown. It was around 7:30 p.m. that Neji and Shikamaru had voted they all quit the game and go home. Naruto and Lee would have eagerly kept playing against each other, but agreed that it was time to head home when a very upset Gai called Lee and demanded that he head home. _Now_.

So, Lee raced across the field he had been playing in and hopped into his dad's car, the one the older man had let him use to get to school and back. He was glad that he wouldn't have to walk the two and a half miles to school and back every morning. His family owned only one car, after all, so Lee was very grateful that Gai worked in his office at the house instead of having to use their only form of transportation to go in early to an office in the city.

With a sigh, Lee pulled away from the park, seeing his friends waving to him as they headed home as well. Most of them, like Naruto and Kiba, walked while Neji and Sasuke drove away in rather expensive looking vehicles. It didn't take long for Lee to be on the outskirts of the city and heading into where the trees grew thicker and closer together to form a dark, damp forest. He was gripping the steering wheel tightly with both hands, looking out all of the rear-view mirrors constantly.

It was a phobia that Lee had aqcuired. He was terrified of driving at night or anywhere that was dark. Even though his mother had crashed during the daytime, he was always worried that he wouldn't be able to see where he was going, or lose control of the car and crash into something. In fact, driving in gereral was getting very difficult for him. Especially since he had been having such eerily frightening dreams about his mother . . . He shook his head quickly, looking straight ahead of himself as he drove. He didn't want to think about such things. But definately not as he was driving a car, himself!

Lee froze suddenly, getting a horrid chill up his spine. His hair stood up on his neck and he whipped his head around to look into the backseat. There was no one there, of course. How silly of him to think that someone had been in the car. Of course he was alone. He was out in the middle of the country, where hardly anyone went unless they had buissiness there and wanted to buy land, which wasn't often since now Gai owned the property around the house.

Lee chuckled a bit to himself, shaking his head. He really _was_ getting paranoid. He needed to go home and go straight to bed. He was tired from a long day at school and from playing and getting dirty at the park. All he needed was sleep and--

"Oh my God!" Lee let out a startled cry upon seeing the person in the road when he looked back to the road. He quickly stomped down on the brake and swirved the wheel to the right. A sudden flash blurred his vision. One from his dream that morning. He saw his mother, screaming as she veered sharply to the right and crashed into the guardrail, before plumitting to her death down a steep cliff. Lee clenched his eyes shut, though that didn't stop the images from coming. Suddenly, he was sent forward, his neck and waist being caught by the seatbelt he wore, burning his skin a bit. His head slammed into the steering wheel, making him groan and see stars. Everything around him seemed to be moving and shaking, but when it finally stopped and was still again, Lee fell back into the driver's seat and opened his eyes.

He was shocked to see leaves. Leaves, and smoke. With a quick look up, Lee realized that when he had turned, he had gone straight down the small slope that bordered the roads on the country side and had crashed, full force, into a tree. Which is where he sat now. He had to shut his left eye when something wet began to drip onto his eyelids. Swiping just above his eyebrows, Lee hissed in pain and brought his hand down quickly. He looked down at his hands and saw the deep crimson color that indicated he probably had a large gash across his forehead.

When it finally registered that he should get out of the car before it exploded or something, Lee unbuckled his seatbelt and quickly scrambled out of the vehicle. Stumbling and swaying as he tried to straighten his vision, Lee covered his eye, looking up and searching his surroundings. He spotted the person he had nearly hit still standing in the middle of the road, watching him with a frightened, yet concerned look on his face. Lee narrowed his exposed eye, frustrated that he had crashed the only car that his father owned, but also glad that he hadn't hurt anyone. Still dizzy and lightheaded, he crawled up the slope that lead to the road, groaning as moving too quickly made his head pound.

Up close to the stranger now, Lee got a very good mental image of him. Short, maybe just under five feet, red hair that went below his ears in thick locks. He had the strangest, yet most fascinating, aqua colored eyes that were surrounded by dark circles. Just above his left eye was a red mark that read 'love' in Japanese, though it was partially covered by the scarlet colored bangs. Around his shoulders was a white robe that was tied by a blue sash around his waist. It fell all the way down to his ankles. The fabric (which looked expensive) was stained with grass and dirt around his knees, and the redhead had mud mixed with perspiration all over his cheeks. Lee couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the other male. He seemed so small, probably a few years his junior, and was shuddering as he looked Lee up and down.

_God, he must be terrified. I really need to watch where I'm going. This could have ended up a lot worse if I hadn't swerved._ Lee sighed, wiping his brow gently before he lowered his hand and stepped towards the startled boy slowly. "Are you all right?" He asked, extending a hand to the other. "Look, I'm really sorry. I wasn't watching where I was--"

"Y-you . . . you're looking at me . . . you're talking to me . . ." The pale skinned boy spoke softly, but Lee could make out his words perfectly.

"Huh? Yeah. Of course. Are you all right? I didn't hurt you did I?" Lee asked, moving forward again and putting a hand on the other's shoulder. He was a bit confused why the redhead seemed so frightened by just a simple touch. But then again, he _had_ nearly ran him over. If that wasn't enought reason to--

"Uh . . . guh . . . ah . . . uwaaahhh!"

Lee jumped back at the sudden noise that burst forth from the other male's throat, his eyes flying open wide. He knew that the other must have been frightened, but wasn't this scream a bit delayed? The best time to scream would have been when the car was coming at him, not now as Lee was trying to see if he was hurt. "Hey, calm down." Lee said, grabbing a hold of the stranger's shoulder again, trying to get him to stop screaming. "Just calm down! Let me help you!" The fact that he was yelling probably didn't help to get the other boy to relax, but the frightened wails were getting on Lee's nerves.

"You . . . let me go! Don't hurt me! Please!" The redhead begged, twisting and squirming under Lee's hold, trying to free himself. He made a run for the forest, but Lee grabbed his hand, trying to hold him still.

"Look, I'll call an ambulance. You can use my phone and call your family. Your parents. Calm down. Stop it!" Lee tugged on the boy's thin wrist, yanking him back a bit to where Lee had a grip on both of his shoulders. "Listen, I'm really sorry. Just please let me make it up to you. Where do you live? Are you from here?" Lee was trying to talk over the small boy's soft mumbles as he held up his hands in front of his face in a defensive manner.

"Don't hurt me . . . don't hurt me . . . don't hurt me . . . please . . . please . . . p-p-_please_ . . ." His voice was breaking and quivering like he was about to burst into tears at any moment, which Lee hoped that he didn't. His whole body was shaking and his knees were knocking together violently while Lee held him up.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Lee said, trying to get the other's attention. "I'm trying to make sure that you don't have any injuries." A sudden vibrating in his pocket made Lee glance down, hearing the ringing of his cell phone. He released one of the boy's shoulders to reach into his pants and pick up, finding that it was his father. "Hello? Dad? Yeah, I--hey! Hey! Stop! Get back here!" Lee's hand dropped to his side as he tried meekly to chase after the redhead, who had escaped from his grip. The sudden interruption left Gai on the phone, listening to his son's yells and footsteps.

"Lee! I know you're there! I can hear you breathing! Lee! _Lee!_" Gai screeched into the phone, reminding the ebony haired boy of the call. Lee stood by the side of the road, looking after where the young stranger had suddenly disappeared into the forest. He raised the cell phone back up to his ear after a moment, listening to the scolding his father was giving him.

"I'm here Dad . . . but . . . Yeah, I know I'm late. I . . . yes. Yes dad . . ." He sighed and took a seat by the enterance of the woods, looking to the sky, since it was getting dark and he didn't want that boy to get hurt. He would have to call the cops to look for him if he didn't show up again. "Okay. Dad. Please don't get mad at me . . ." Lee waited until he had that promise before he let it slip. "I crashed your car."

Songstone: All right! Hope that anyone who is new to this story is enjoying and that everyone who has been following can please wait for me while I finish the next part! R&R!


	3. Second Meeting

**Jinchuuriki**

**A story by Songstone**

**Songstone: . . . GUYS! How come no one told me that I was spelling the title of this story wrong?! I only realized that Jinchuuriki was spelled with two U's a little while ago and I was like . . . CURSES! Seriously, everyone! I'm a bit of a dunderhead sometimes. XD So you need to tell me if you catch a mistake! Well, anyway, this chapter took FOREVER but I finally got it done. XD **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**Chapter 3: Second Meeting  
**

_"Okay, get ready, and start the test . . . now." The teacher gave the signal and all of the second graders began thier school work, flipping over their papers and starting to write down the answers to the numbered questions. The room went silent for once as everyone worked on their given tests and concentrated hard on getting the correct answers._

_Lee looked around himself at all of the other kids who were working and tried hard to concentrate on the questions that stared up at him from his paper. But he couldn't help but get an awful feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach as he finally put the tip of his pencil to the white sheet. However, as soon as he had written the third 'S' in 'Mississippi', a knock on the classroom door made him and nearly half of the class to look up in surprise._

_The principal was standing in the doorway when the teacher opened the door and he looked into the classroom, spotting Lee and then whispering quickly to the instructor._

_"Lee, can I speak to you out here in the hall?" The principal asked in a hushed voice. _

_The children in the classroom all giggled and made noises, some of the boys muttered a 'you're in trrrrrouble!' in Lee's direction, but he payed them no attention. He was already on his feet, hurrying to the doorway. "Yes sir . . ." He said respectfully, wondering what could be the matter. He was a good student and had been taking his test like he was supposed to . . . what was wrong?_

_"Lee, your father is coming to pick you up early, all right? There's been an accident." The principal was grim faced and looking to his shoes while the small boy just gaped up at him in shock._

_"A-accident?" He spat out the word after a long pause, and was suddenly tugging on the older man's sleeve. "What happened? What's wrong? Why do I need to be picked up?" His voice rose a bit, becoming shrill and panicked. That feeling of dread hadn't left him yet. In fact, it had just grown three times in size._

_The older man knelt down beside the jumpy child and put a large hand on his shoulder. "Lee, I don't know what to say . . ." But he found words anyway and formed them with careful inflection. "Your mother got into a car accident today . . . she's gone, son. I'm sorry."_

_Now, being only seven, Lee didn't truly understand what the man meant. In fact, he thought he had gon nuts! But seeing the sad, worn look that the principal was giving him, he slowly, painfully, peiced the information together until something dreaful clicked in his mind. _

_"N-no . . . my mommy isn't gone . . ." He shook his head, his bangs falling over his eyes unevenly. His mother had tried to cut them without much success if he remembered correctly . . . "My mommy isn't gone! She's not!" Lee's cries were growing hysterical and he promptly turned on his heel, racing away from the older man and running out of the school building, his long braid swaying behind him and striking his back occasionally._

_"Mommy! Mommy!" He clenched his eyes shut, the tears blurring his vision while he ran. When he opened them, however, he stopped himself from running any further when he realized that he didn't know where he was. Looking down at himself, Lee noticed that he was no longer a child. He was a teenager again, and he was lost . . . in the woods. He turned in all directions, trying to find which way was out, but every way he turned looked exactly the same._

_"Don't hurt me . . ."_

_The soft words caught Lee's attention and he turned around slowly, searching for the owner of the voice. But, no matter where he turned or how fast he was, he couldn't catch a single glimpse of whoever was talking. He began to get panicky as he whirled around in all directions, trying to find whoever was with him out in the woods. But suddenly, the whole world shifted and imploded on itself in a swirl of colors until nothing was left._

_Lee knew this place . . . He did! It was the void that fluttered somewhere between a dream and reality. Consciousness and unconsciousness. This was the place where he could gather his wits just before his alarm went off, or his dad came to check on him and he was forced into the real world. This was a calm place._

_But, suddenly, Lee realized that he wasn't alone. There was something that was making his skin crawl and his hair stand on edge and when he swivled around quickly to catch what it was, his eyes finally met the person who had been stalking him in his sleep._

_"You!" Was the only word that Lee could force out. He gaped at the redhaired boy in shock for a moment and then reached out to him. Maybe he was recovering from something like he was. Maybe Lee could help him here._

_But instead of reaching back to Lee and pulling himself closer to alerteness, the younger boy took a step back. "Don't hurt me please!" He screamed once, loudly, before he turned around and bolted off, his small body dissapearing into the darkness before Lee could even think twice about what was happening._

_And then Lee was falling. Backwards, spiralling and twisting until--_

- - -

"Ooommph!" The air was forced from Lee's lungs all at once and he gave a start when his body struck against something hard.

There was something tangled around his limbs and he began to thrash about wildly, trying to shake off whatever was clinging to him. He stopped and opened his eyes, which were practically glued shut with sleepiness, and winced against the morning sunlight. It took a moment, but Lee finally focused on his surroundings and sat upright all the way. Looking down on himself, Lee found that the 'attacker' who had grabbed a hold of his arms and legs, was nothing more than his bedsheets, sticky and damp with sweat.

"Lee? Hey, you okay in there, sport?" Gai's voice came from behind the wooden door that led to Lee's room. He knocked a bit, but the lock of the door handle prevented him from entering his son's room.

Lee cleared his throat before he could speak and he slowly pushed himself up from the floor. He threw his sheets and blanket back ontop of his bed and then crossed the room, unlocking the door and pulling it open. "I'm fine. Just . . . I dropped a few boxes. Sorry." He chuckled nervously as he looked up at his father, who was looking down at him with raised eyebrows. "I'll get ready for school now." He went to shut the door again so that he could clean up his room a bit and change into his uniform, but, to his surprise, the door wouldn't shut.

"Lee, it's the weekend. Saturday. Remember?" Gai's voice sounded concerned and he pushed the door open with ease, despite Lee having been pushing it shut. "Hey, you all right? How's your head? Does it still hurt? Lee? Did you fall off of the bed? Quick! How many fingers am I holding up?" The older man swiftly brought up his hand, shoving four fingers into his son's face and gripping his shoulder with his other hand.

"Dad!" Lee moved back and squirmed away from his father's hold, swatting away the invading hand that was right against his nose. "I'm fine. I just got startled, that's all." He managed to smile again, hoping that it came out reassuring because he knew how much his dad worried and fussed over his well being. There had even been the incident when Lee was ten and had fallen out of a tree when he had tried to climb it. He had come home with a scraped knee and his father had quite literaly thrown a fit. He even went as far as to take his son to the emergency room for fear that he had an infection.

"Are you sure? Let me see your stitches." Without permission to do so, Gai then reached up and pushed back his son's bangs, leaning down to inspect the swollen and bruised area around the six stitches that rested just above Lee's eyebrow.

Lee tried to protest, but Gai's grip on his arm prevented him from pulling away or trying to hide his injury. "It's fine. Dad. Really. Just--ow! It's sore!" His father pulled away instantly after his touch had caused his son pain. Lee was left covering the point of discomfort, hissing in pain.

"Sorry." Gai apologized, placing his hands behind his back and grinning sheepishly. He took a step back and then nodded back towards the stairs. "Breakfast is ready whenever you want some. Today you can just take it easy and relax. Maybe we'll go watch a movie or something." He smiled wide and then turned around to hurry back to the kitchen. "Hurry up and get dressed, all right Lee?"

"Yeah." Lee muttered, still defending his forehead from anymore poking and proding with his hand. But he retreated back into his room and shut the door. Pressing his back against the wood, Lee let out a heavy sigh and glanced over at his bed, which was completely disheveled. Shaking his head and feeling his bangs dance across his forehead, Lee proceeded to clean his room and himself. He was just going to have to get used to the dreams that were haunting him here. That would be the only way that he could move on with his life. Lee far preferred remembering his mother for what she really was; a sweet, loving woman who used to read to him and play games. Not the wide-eyed, screaming reflection of herself as she lost control of her car.

And as for this new development in his dreams . . . That boy with red hair. Well, Lee was just going to have to find out what was going on with him on his own.

- - -

Driving home that evening wasn't really an easy thing for Lee to do. He had gotten a good talking to from his father when he had asked if he could go into town to hang out with Naruto and his friends. The rental car that they had gotten (at least until they got a new car) couldn't afford to be damaged or crashed. Lee still remembered his father's panicked voice when he had told him over the phone that he had crashed. Gai's voice had went up to a high pitch and he had demanded to know if Lee had been injured. Then, after getting assured repeatedly that his son was all right, he had hung up and called an ambulance as well as a tow truck.

Gai had made it there faster than either of the people that he had called, however. He had simply tugged on some running shoes and bolted out the door to their home, running the mile and a half that Lee had left between them. As soon as he had gotten there, Gai had taken a look at Lee's head by himself, barely worrying about the car. The paramedics looked the young man over as well, and once they were through and had told Gai that Lee was fine, the older man had released a long sigh of relief--then began to scold his son.

He understood that it had been an accident at least, but he was still a bit ornery about losing the only mode of transportation that they had. He had called for a rental right away, and things had been settled rather smoothly. But Lee had also told his father about the strange encounter he had. The older man had called the police, reported what had happened, and told Lee that everything would be fine; the police officers would find the strange kid and return him to wherever it was he belonged. And then they had gone home. The man who had driven the tow truck was nice enough to give them a lift to their house . . .

Now, as Lee drove down the country road that led to his new home, he found himself looking around ocassionally, searching the woods, in between trees as he passed them; he was trying to see if he could spot that boy he had met the other day. He was looking for any signs of red hair between the bushes and shrubs that surrounded the road, but found nothing, to his dismay. He turned his attention back to the road quickly, finding his foot on the break just in case. Luckily, there wasn't anyone in the middle of the road this time. Lee wondered if the cops had located that kid . . . He had seemed reall shaken up when Lee had tried to help him. Poor guy. Lee furrowed his eyebrows slowly, easing up on the gas as he drove.

He had suddenly gotten a very . . . eerie feeling. Strangely enough, it wasn't anything particularly new. It was close to the sensations that he felt inside of his home; like he was being watched. The hair on Lee's neck suddenly stood straight up and a shiver worked its way up his spine. Wait . . . this had happened before. Just before he had crashed, in fact.

Deciding to face his problems head on, Lee nodded his head to himself and gently eased the car towards the side of the road. He slowed to a stop and then parked, cutting the engine quickly after he had done so. For a while, he just sat there, thinking about what he was going to do. Should he really do this? Maybe he should just go straight home . . . But Lee shook his head, finding that his own curiosity over ruled what he knew was the Right Thing to do. Lee stuffed the car keys into his pocket and then reached over to the passenger seat; he grabbed his cell phone and tucked it away into his other pocket, making sure that it was turned on. He could be paranoid like that, sometimes. Then, not wanting to chicken out, Lee quickly opened his car door and hopped out. He locked all of the doors, of course, and cautiously stepped around the vehicle. When he was standing directly at the edge of the road, his toes barely touching grass, he looked around himself and took a deep breath of air.

"Hello! Is anyone out there?" Lee called out into the forest, hearing a few birds squak and scatter in the treetops after the sudden noise had startled them. Other than a few chirps and the sound of ruffled feathers, Lee's question was greeted with silence. He sighed and rolled his eyes. Of course it wasn't going to be that easy. It never was easy for him, was it? Taking a swift look around himself, Lee felt that strange prickly feeling at the back of his neck again; the temperture also seemed to have dropped, which was odd. It was only five in the evening, so it wasn't very dark, and it was the middle of summer. Lee shook off that feeling when he spotted no one around him and cautiously took a step forward onto the grass. Nothing happened and he heard nothing out of the ordinary.

Keeping as silent as possible, Lee continued to walk into the forest, cautious of staying close to his car and the road. He wasn't sure how far he walked, but eventually, the sound of running water caught Lee's attention. He headed towards it instictively and soon found a nice clearing where a small lake lay; the water was clean and clear, looking rather inviting. If Lee hadn't been exploring, he might have stripped down to his boxers and hopped into the water for a quick dip. Though that was out of the question, Lee did kneel down and stick his hands into the running water. It felt cold; nice and refreshing against his skin. Dipping his head a bit, Lee splashed his face, shivering slightly when the icyness pricked his skin.

_This place is nice. Maybe I should come here more often._ Lee smiled at that thought and lowered his head to splash his face again; but from the corner of his eye, he saw something moving. He froze into place, his palms full of water and his face close to the running liquid. He didn't dare to turn around and see who, or what, was there; so he just knelt there, completely still and silent. Maybe if it was a predator it would go away . . .

All at once, a scream sliced through the air and a splash was heard, right next to where Lee was. He gave a violent start and fell back onto his behind, his face having gotten splashed when the force of whatever had struck the water sent tiny icy daggers of water into the air. With wide eyes, Lee searched for what had happened; there were ripples in the water and something was thrashing about widly just a little bit further away . . . A person! Instantly, Lee was on his feet, rushing towards the riverbank and reaching out towards the panicked person in the water. "Whoa, whoa! Easy. Calm down! Give me your hand. Are you all right?" Lee moved forward and took a step, planting one foot firmly in the water and then grabbing a hold of the other person's arm. He gave a rough tug, bringing the other up and out of the chilly liquid and back onto the grass. "You!"

After calming down and actually getting a chance to see who he had just pulled from the water, Lee's eyes had gone wider than normal and his heart had nearly skipped a beat. The red hair, pale face dominated by dark rings that held aqua eyes, the same tattoo and clothes . . . it was the same boy whom Lee had nearly crashed into the previous day! "What are you doing here!? Are you all right?" He kneeled down again, in front of the boy this time as he held him up by his shoulders, and examined his face.

The other boy was staring down at him with eyes nearly as wide as Lee's own; he was soaking wet after he had flung himself into the lake, and now he was shuddering violently under the ebony haired boy's grip. "Y-you're here . . .? H-how? How can you see--nevermind! Let go!" He tried to pull away, squirming and struggling with Lee for a long moment.

"Hey, calm down! Look, I'm not going to hurt you, no matter what you seem to think! I only want to make sure you're safe! Now please, let me take you to my house; we'll call the police and--" Suddenly the ground shook and groaned beneath Lee and the movement nearly made him lose his balance. He caught himself with one hand and barely managed to hold onto the redhead when the latter tried to run. "Wait! What's going on? Why are you running?"

The young man seemed to be close to hyperventalating, his small chest heaving up and down and his whole body shuddering violently. He tugged at his arm in Lee's hold and whined loudly. "Please let go! He's found me! I have to get away!" His round eyes darted around the forest and then focused back on Lee's face. "You need to run too! You can see me--!" He swallowed thickly around those words. "If you can see me, then you'll see him. He'll try and kill you too!"

"Wait! Stop fidgeting!" Lee ordered, waving his free hand in a 'hold it' gesture. "Who? What are you talking about? What was that tremor just now . . .? And who's trying to kill you? Please, talk to me. I'll help you." He was begging with his eyes now as he stared directly into those two pale eyes, wild and panicked. "Are you in trouble with the law?" He asked, rising to his feet along with the redhead and still managing to hold onto his wrist.

"What? Law? What are you--" The other's mouth suddenly dropped and his lower lip trembled. His eyes went wider, if that was even possible, and then they seemed to water and shine with something like fear. "Let go!" He cried, just before he let loose one long, rather high pitched wail. He began to toss himself every which way in some sort of attempt to free himself from Lee.

"Stop, I said! Listen, I promise to help you! Just sit still--" Lee's senses prickled again; the hair on not only his neck, but his arms as well, stood straight up and a shudder made his whole body convulse once. Something wasn't right. The air felt suddenly . . . heavier. There was a strong wind, too; one that hit Lee from behind hard enough to make him stumble forward a couple of steps. _Behind . . . something behind me . . ._ With that realization, Lee's whole body went rigid and he slowly turned his neck around so that he could see just what was . . .

A fox. It was a fox. Lee had seen foxes ocassionally before; in his new home, they often walked by their front door at nighttime. But no fox in the world could ever compare to this one . . . It stood, towering over Lee's head at a good height of an exstimated ten feet. Its fur was bright orange and its eyes were wild and savage; a glowing sort of bloody color in the iris'. Its claws, at least as big as Lee's whole lower body, were flexing repeatedly in the dirt, talons scrapping nastily against rocks. As Lee lifted his chin to stare up at the massive creature, it snorted and its breath whoosed out from its nose, pushing Lee back with its force.

". . . R . . . run . . ." Lee whispered to the boy behind himself. He slowly released his hand and took a step back. The foxed growled at that move and hunched its shoulders, seeming ready to spring forward and capture either of them in its massive jaws. ". . . Run . . . run! Run, now! Go!" Lee ordered, reaching behind himself and shoving the redheaded boy, who had frozen and rooted himself into the ground. The push made the other snap out of his daze and he glanced at Lee's eyes worriedly just before he turned on his heel and took off in a dead run.

Lee did the same; he spun around and began to race forward. Away from that unnatural beast. He hadn't gotten that far when he heard a growl, low and feral. It made the ground shake slightly with its force and then the fox behind Lee hissed, angry that its prey was escaping. Lee was determined to dart after the redheaded boy, who was weaving in between trees in an attempt to slow the predator, but suddenly, he found himself airborne.

Something slammed against his chest and yanked him back so roughly his neck went forward with near bone breaking force. There was suddenly red hot pain searing across his chest and he spun in the air once before his back met the hard bark of a tree trunk. The air left Lee's lungs all at once, making him lightheaded. His body slumped to the ground and fell to the side lifelessly. He was seeing stars and couldn't seem to catch his breath. ". . . Run . . ." Lee spat out, gagging on something rising in his throat. He swallowed it down and tried to push himself up from the ground, but his body wouldn't obey that command. His eyes were sliding shut, much to his horror.

But even if his vision was becoming hazy and disoriented, Lee could see that enormous fox chasing after the other boy through the forest. It was here, from this new position, that Lee noticed another thing that made this fox different than any other; it had nine tails instead of one.

**Songstone: LONGEST CHAPTER YET! XD And yes! Now it's getting good! And, just to clear up a guess everyone has been making; Gaara isn't a ghost here. It was a good idea, and I know it seemed that way, but trust me. I have something better planned. XD Anyway, I hope that everyone liked this chapter. Please review so that I can continue to write! You guys make my day when I check and there are new reviews for me. R&R please!**


	4. Approach

**Jinchuuriki**

**A story by Songstone**

**Songstone: 8D I live. This story lives. Don't hate me for this long overdue update. D8**

**Chapter 4: Approach**

Lee winced as he shut his locker door a bit too roughly. The sound it made rung in his ears and made his head pound.

A couple of days after his second encounter with that boy in the forest, and all seemed to be back to normal, besides the bruises and cuts he had acquired. Lee was going to school again (this time having to be driven by Gai in the car they had rented), and still getting lost on his way to classes.

However, at least one thing had changed. Maybe he shouldn't have insisted to anyone that he had seen a ten-foot tall fox. Maybe if he had kept his mouth shut, the kids in his school wouldn't be avoiding him like the plague.

Well, except for Naruto, that is. The boy probably didn't even care if the new kid was a potential nut-case. But he wasn't anywhere in sight at the moment.

"Uhm...excuse me?" Lee asked when he thought that he had found someone who might be able to help him find his history class. "Do you know where room...uh..." He checked his schedule for the number. "106 is?" He finished, glancing back up hopefully.

The other boy that Lee had consulted seemed a few years older than he was. He had long black hair that was swung over his back in a tight ponytail; the rest of him was hidden since he had his nose stuck inside of his locker, looking for something.

When the other had pulled his head back from his locker, he turned in Lee's direction and a thin brow quirked from behind a pair of dark glasses. "You're asking _me_?" He asked, pointing a finger up at himself.

"Uhm...yes. I haven't gotten used to my schedule yet, and I don't want to be late for History, so--"

"Hn." The raven haired man cut him off by turning slightly and extending a finger down the hall. "About twenty steps down there from here, then make a left and go sixteen steps. Then about thirty-two steps to your right, and it's the door to the left."

Lee blinked, a bit confused by the strange directions he had just been given. "O-oh...uhm...okay. thanks!" He said, giving an awkward grin and a wave before he looked downwards and took off, counting each step he took silently under his breath.

"Seventeen...eighteen...nineteen...twenty." Lee turned to the left once he had taken the correct number of steps, and found himself facing a new hallway. Huh. Maybe the directions were a bit strange, but at least they worked. He was getting somewhere.

"Fuzzybrows!" The ebony haired boy glanced over his shoulder at hearing the familiar screeching that was Naruto's voice.

"Oh, hey Naru...to..." Lee stopped, mid-wave, as he peered back down the hall from where he'd come from.

Was...was that the same guy who had just given him directions? And...did he have a...a cane?

Oh Lord...

"Hey Fuzzybrows, what's up?" Naruto came bounding up to his newest friend and grinned for a second or two before his face fell and he turned to see what Lee was looking at. "What's the matter?" He questioned.

"...I...think I just asked a blind person for directions..." Lee said, quickly turning away and walking back down the hall, not even bothering to count steps anymore.

"Wait, blind person--? Oh! You mean Itachi?" The blond asked, jerking a thumb back towards the raven haired man, who was heading in the opposite direction, cane extended out in front of himself to be sure he wouldn't bump into anything.

Lee just gave a slow, embarrassed nod. What a fool the other must have taken him for! Good thing he didn't know it was him...

"Oh yeah, he's Sasuke's big brother!" Naruto gave a wicked chuckle. "I don't believe you didn't notice that he was _blind_! Man, Sasuke will get a kick out of this when I tell him..."

Scratch that.

- - -

"I'll be back in a few, Lee!" Gai called upstairs to his son later in the evening time. He had just gotten done with work in his office, and had decided to go to the grocery store to pick up a few things. "You sure you don't want to come?"

"No, I'll stay here, dad. Maybe I'll take a nap. You go on ahead." Lee called back down, not looking up from the art book he had opened in his lap. He continued to drag his pencil down across the page while listening to his father leaving the house and starting up the car.

He had been doing a lot more drawing lately. Most of his pictures were of that fox he had 'dreamed' of, as the police officers and his father liked to put it. The other sketches were of that redheaded boy.

Sighing, Lee took a moment to turn over onto his belly as he stretched out in bed. He put the book in front of himself on top of a pillow and then silently began to draw again.

He really hoped that that boy was all right. Hopefully that _thing_ hadn't caught him.

Lee knew that he wasn't dreaming the fox up; how else would he have gotten those cuts over his chest? Why else would he have been found passed out in the woods? That thing had attacked him!

But of course, not everyone believed it when someone said there was a ten-foot tall, nine-tailed beast running wild around town.

If only he was able to find that kid again...make sure that he was all right. Not only that, but he would also be able to side with Lee about the whole fox thing and maybe get some people to start listening.

Lee had to stop drawing for a moment as he heard a soft knocking sound. He lifted his head, looking towards his window. Who was here? No one had come over to visit at all, yet (_probably because of me_, Lee guessed).

Crawling up from the bed, Lee stepped over towards his window and gave it a tug upwards, opening it swiftly. He stuck his head outside and peered down to the dirt driveway in the front of the house.

No cars..surely no one had walked this far.

Lee was about to dismiss the noise as his mind playing tricks on him, but in the next second, the knocking sounded again. Louder.

"Coming!" Lee called downstairs, where he was sure that the knocking was coming from. He stepped away from the window and crossed his room until he was at his door. He gripped the handle, yanked, and was about to take a step into the hall before he froze.

"...You...again..." The dark-haired teen sputtered, his coal coloured eyes flying wide open.

"Uhm...yes...please, can we...can we talk?" The redhead asked as he rubbed his arm lightly, peering up at Lee with two tired looking green eyes.

Lee didn't ask questions. He didn't demand how on Earth the boy had gotten into his home, what he wanted to talk about, or where that monster that had chased them was.

No, Lee just took two steps backwards, tripped and tumbled onto his behind, and screamed.

**Songstone: FINALLY. It can start getting good now. XD Hurray! Maybe I'll write more chapters now that I like where it's heading. Plus, my writing has gotten better. 8D That's something to be proud of. XD Anyway, please R&R to let me know that there are still people who want to read this story. XD**


	5. Explanation

**Jinchuuriki**

**A story by Songstone**

**Songstone: Hurray, chapter 5!! 8D Holy freak, is this story already this far? XD Wow. Anyway, this chapter FINALLY explains WTH Gaara really is. So I hope you guys like it! 8D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

**Chapter 5: Explanation**

"Again...explain to me again who and..._what_ you are?" Lee asked, holding a hand to his head to try and stop the spinning the room was doing.

"My name is Gaara." The redheaded boy said, not really seeming to mind having to repeat himself. "And I'm a Jinchuuriki."

"Uh...huh..." Was all that Lee said to that. He continued pacing around his room nervously while his guest simply sat on the side of his bed. "And a Jinchuuriki would be...?"

The shorter male gave a small sigh and began reciting what he had just told Lee a few moments before. "We're cold-blooded creatures. We have a basic human form, except for a few internal exceptions; and we live in a much cleaner, purer land. Seperate from yours."

"Seperate?" Lee piped up, still burning a trail across his room as he paced. "Seperate how?"

"I...It's kind of hard to explain..." Gaara mumbled, glancing downwards and following the motions of Lee's feet as he walked to and fro. "I know that this world has two planes; the one we're on now (your world), and my world. The one unseen by humans."

Lee slowed his walking at hearing that, and he half-turned to watch the redheaded boy unsurely. He rose an eyebrow, curious over this explanation, and finally turned his whole body in Gaara's directions. He crossed his arms over his chest slowly. "Okay..." He nodded, going along with this explanation for the moment. "Then why can I see you? And why are you here?"

Gaara gave a faint dip of the head as he acknowledged those two questions, and then he cleared his throat, going back to explaining. "I don't know why _you_ can see me. Jinchuuriki like me, and all of the other creatures from my world, should be invisible to you since humans don't have the proper 'eyes' to see us with." He crossed his own arms and furrowed his brow as if he were pondering over this conundrum vigorously. When he apparently couldn't find a reasonable explanation for why Lee could see and touch him, he glanced back up.

"I'm here because I'm running away from my world." The redhead said, moving on to Lee's other question. "Think of our two worlds as parallel to one another, all right? Well, in between our worlds, there are gaps leading from one to another. A literal escape portal to another universe. All I did was slip out from my world into yours to hide."

The raven haired boy gaped at his guest in surprise at hearing all of this. Of course, he thought that all of this was just nonsense; that the boy maybe had some sort of problem telling reality from his fantasy world. But then...what was that fox he had seen? That was certainly _very_ real, and definitely not from this world. Maybe...maybe there was some truth to this impossible idea?

Lee cleared his throat awkwardly, shuffling from foot to foot as he nodded to all of this information. "O-okay...uhm, why are you runnning away from your home in the first place?" He asked curiously.

That question brought out a stronger reaction than Lee expected; Gaara's eyes narrowed and he glared down at the floor, his hands turning into fists in his lap. "The Shukaku is taking over..." He growled lowly.

"The Shukaku?" Lee questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Was...is that the fox that was chasing us?"

Gaara scoffed and shook his head once. "No, that was Kyuubi. He's Shukaku's right hand man, of sorts. He was sent by his master to kill me." He sighed and then relaxed his posture, shoulders slumping slightly. "Shukaku is much bigger and much more cruel. He killed my father (who was ruling our land) and many other higher-ups in order to get control over our world.

"He's after me now, since I had been in the process of being brought into ownership of the throne before he took over. Because of that, he sees me as a sort of threat; one that could cause rebellion and take him out." The redhead sighed once he had finished his summary and brought his legs up to his chest. He rested his chin on his knees while he hugged them against himself. "I didn't want to abandon my people, but my brother and sister all but forced me to leave so that I would be safe..."

"You're...serious about this whole story. Aren't you?" Lee asked increadiously. He unfolded his arms as he stepped towards his bed and slowly eased himself into a sitting position besides the redhead.

Gaara's head turned towards Lee slowly, and his black ringed eyes held a look of hazy boredom. "Of _course_ I'm being serious. I wouldn't lie about something so serious."

"Sorry, I didn't mean...!" Lee waved his hands in front of his face quickly. He trailed off slowly, and then lowered his arms, heaving a heavy sigh while doing so. "Well, you're obviously not very safe here if that fox--"

"Kyuubi."

"--Kyuubi found you." Lee said, rubbing at his jaw. "Is there anything I can do to help?" He didn't know why he offered. If the situation was as serious as Gaara said it was, then what could Lee possibly do to help? He was only human. Granted, a human that could see the supposedly un-seeable, but still just flesh and bones and nothing that could possibly be of use to someone like Gaara.

"You can hide me." The redhead said after a moment or two of thinking that question over. He glanced up at Lee again, lowering his legs back to the floor. "You can, can't you? At least until Kyuubi gets called back. I need time to try and figure out some way to stop Shukaku and save the other's..." He bit on his nails, mumbling something to himself while Lee sputtered slightly.

"Hide you? Er...well, I suppose that you can stay here...there's an extra bedroom down the hall. I'm sure that my dad won't mind, but--"

"Oh. Your dad isn't able to see me like you." Gaara suddenly stated, snapping out of his plotting. "I passed by him as he was leaving your house. He didn't see me."

"O-oh..." Lee said, blinking in surprise. He would have thought that if he was able to see Gaara, then surely his _father_ would be able to as well. Oh well, maybe it was better this way. No need to get Gai involved in this mess, anyway. "So, uhm, are you...hungry? Can I get you anything?" The raven haired boy asked as he rubbed the back of his neck. He had never housed a creature like Gaara before; so he was just acting as he would as if the redhead was human.

The younger boy shook his head, fiery bangs falling in front his eyes and spilling over the kanji on his forehead. "No, thank you. But if you wouldn't mind, I would like to sleep a little bit. I've been chased for quite a while, so naturally I'm exhausted."

"Oh! No, no problem. I can fix the guest bed for you, if you want. It'll just take a moment--"

"I'd much rather sleep in here, if you wouldn't mind." Gaara suddenly interrupted. He looked around the room fully, then pushed himself fully onto the bed, stretching out his legs and easing back into one of the pillows. "I feel somewhat...safer around here. Around you, anyway. My kind isn't suited well for isolated situations."

And there really wasn't much else that Lee could say, or object to. The redhead was already curling up onto the bed, burying his face against the pillow. His eyes slid shut, and he exhaled heavily through his nose before going still and quiet. Lee watched him for a moment, then scratched at his head.

So...A Jinchuuriki, huh? Another universal plane? A huge tyrant wanting to kill this boy who was sleeping soundly in his bed? This was all quite a lot to take in, but Lee was quite pleased with himself. He was taking this a lot better than he would have given himself credit for.

Maybe he was still soaking all of the information in, though. Perhaps the pure impossibilities of the situation would hit him later. Or maybe he was just crazy and finally giving into his delusions.

Whatever the reason was, Lee was deciding not to ask any questions at that moment. He was quite happy staying blissfully ignorant.

So, he did the only natural thing that came to mind after Gaara had fallen asleep; he picked up his sketch book and started to draw his strange new house guest. Again.

- - -

The wind whistled pleasantly as it weaved through the forest. It curled around trees and danced with their leaves and branches for a while before it reached the ears of a fox.

Kyuubi made a low, feral sound as he growled and lifted his nose away from the dirt. "I can't find him...lost his scent..." He spoke darkly to himself, his large, orange ears folding back against his skull.

"We've been looking for days now. Shukaku ordered us back within a week's time, remember? Un." A smaller voice sang besides Kyuubi's ear, and the fox made another displeased noise.

"We should return, then." The fox agreed reluctantly. He knew that his master would not be pleased if he didn't return when he had been ordered to. He would just have to return again soon to try and recapture that Jinchuuriki.

"Kyuubi, why do we even have to catch this Jinchuuriki? He can't possibly do any harm, un. He's only _one_ Jinchuuriki. What does Shukaku have to worry about?" The voice asked again. Kyuubi felt a small weight settle in on his head and the flapping sound of bird's wings besides his ear stopped.

"Deidara, do you pay attention at all to what master Shukaku tells us? This Jinchuuriki was supposed to take the throne. He, out of everyone, could rally up a resistance against master Shukaku. To be safe, he wants him dead." The fox explained, giving a snort at the ignorance of his controller.

The canary atop Kyuubi's head just sighed and stretched his sore arms and legs a bit as he folded his large, golden wings against his back for rest. His long hair was windblown and tangled, and he didn't seem too pleased over this fact, either. "Right, right, un. I say we just go back and tell Shukaku to send someone else after this Jinchuuriki. Maybe Kakuzu and Hidan, un."

The Kyuubi rolled his eyes while he stood to his full height, his nine tails swinging behind him as he turned to walk off and find his way back home. "Kakuzu and Hidan are still in The Dark, remember?"

Deidara's face fell at being reminded of his friend's punishment, and he made a sad sort of chirping sound. "Yeah, I remember. Un..."

The fox had to wince at the emotion that the canary was letting off. Being his controller, the one whose soul had been fused with his own, Deidara's emotions often had an impact on Kyuubi too. He pushed the brooding back after a second or two and continued to walk, his steps shaking some of the leaves in the trees. "Let's get you back to _your_ master. Okay?"

This brightened the bird's mood, and Deidara hopped up eagerly, becoming airborne again as he flapped his powerful wings. "Yeah, un! Master Sasori is probably worried. Come on, Kyuubi. I'll get us back." He said, tapping the round, golden pendant that he wore as a necklace.

The fox made a slightly displeased growl, though that didn't phase the boy in the least. "Get us back safely." He warned Deidara, eyeing him warily. When he had gotten a nod from the boy, Kyuubi allowed himself to be pulled towards the pendant.

The fox, at least ten feet in height, began to shrink. Or at least, it appeared that way. The fox was giving off a faint orange glow, and he was being pulled--stretched--forward towards the fluttering canary. The pendant around Deidara's thin neck was pulsing yellow.

It took only seconds, and soon the Kyuubi had been pulled completely into the pendant. He was locked away, giving easier control to Deidara as he settled deep in the back of the bird's subconscious, as he always did when he wasn't needed for missions.

Deidara breathed out a heavy sigh once he was alone and then patted the pendant lightly before tucking it safely under his shirt. "Let's go, un." He said, mostly to himself, as he turned himself around and flapped his wings quickly, heading above the trees. It took a moment for his eyes to find the slit between worlds; it was white, blending in with the clouds, but it held a more etheral glow.

Once he had located the gap, however, Deidara was home-bound; he easily slipped his way through the tear and into his homeland, flying as fast as he could towards Shukaku's lair and his master's cage.

**Songstone: ...8D;; SO. THAT'S what Gaara is. XD;; Do you like it? Does it make sense to you guys? I hope it does. D: I worked hard to try and make this understandable. XD Also, I've got a side story to this about Deidara and Sasori called "Lunch" if you guys are interested in their back stories. So in short, I hope you liked this chapter! Please tell me what you thought! 8D**


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